Minster



AIR RECUPERATOR APPARAT A. T. DAWSON AND J. HORNE. us FOR STORING PART OF THE RECOIL ENERGY 0F ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. 1919. 2

Patented N 0?. 18, 1919. I

ZSHEETS-SHEET l 10.2 W21. I f 53 Q M Q A F z K //J/ /V/// z 2 4 A. T. DAWSON AND J. HORNE'. A AIR RECUPERATOR APPARATUS FOR STORING PART OF THE RECOlL ENERGY 0F ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. I919.

1,322,230. Patented N0v.18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

ARTHU TREvoR DAWSON, o wEsTMInsT LONDON, ND JAMESHORNE, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ssIorNoRs ov oxnRs LIMITED, OEWEST- MINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

IR RECUPRRATOR APPARATUS FOR STORING PART OE'IHE R oo L ENERGY or oRmvAivcn.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 18 1919.

Application filed January 16, 1919. Serial No. 271,547.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and J AMES HORNE, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, re'-- at Vickers House,

- the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air recuperator apparatus that is'used'for storing part of the recoil-energy of ordnance so that this energy can be utilized for operating the ammunition hoist, the rammer or other gear connected with. the working of the gun, the said apparatus comprising a recuperator cylinder having a floating piston and provided with a non-returnwalve through which liquid under pressure, obtained bythe displacement of a pistonor ram in a. liquid cylinder (additional to the brake cylinder of the gun) during the recoll of the gun, passes to the recuperator' cylinder and compressesv the air therein through the intermediary of the floating piston. liquid is thus storedlunder pressure in the recuperator cylinder and can when required be utilized for. working the ammunition hoist, the rammer or other gear. I

The chief objects of the present invention are toinsure thatthe compressed air in the recuperator cylinder shall not escape past the piston when the pressure on the liquid side of the said piston falls below that of the compressed air, and to prevent the said cylinder from becoming overcharged with the liquid during the recoil of.

the gun.

According to our invention and with the first object-in view, we provide the floating piston with a displaceable member which, when the floating piston is left without liquid support owing to the liquid having been drawn; from th recuperator cylinder for operating the gear to be driven thereby, will come against an abutment and :thereby cause liquid imprisoned between the floating piston and the said displaceablemember to act under high pressure upon the The leather or other packing of thefioatingpiston so as to insure an air tight joint- -between thesaid piston and the recuperator cylinder.

In order to prevent the 'recuperator cylinder from being overcharged- With liquid as aforesaid, we provide the-liquid endof the said cylinder with a valve which is 'capable of being opened by the floating piston when the latter reaches a-predet'ermined p0 'sition beyond which it is not desired that the floating piston should operate in compressing the air, thus-permitting of the escape of the excess liquid which would otherwis'ebe forced into the cylinder.

'In order that the said invention may-be clearlyunderstood and readily carried into efl'ect, we will' describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying "drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a recuperator cylinder provided with a 'constructional form of our improvements, and

Fig.1 2 is a'view similar to Fig. l but showing a slightly modified'form of'the displaceable member carried by the floating piston.

A is the recuperator cylinder and A is the non-return valve through which liquid under pressureis admitted to the cylinder during the recoil offthe gun as aforesaid, B is the floating piston and B is the displaceable member carried by the said piston.

In the examples shown the displaceable member B isin theform'of a piston (here{ in termed the auxiliary piston) -wl1ich is loosely mounted on a cylindrical extension piece I) of thefioating piston B but is prevented from becoming detached by means of a collar 6 onfthe,-said extension piece (Fig. 1) or on the'floating piston (Fig. 2). A spring B interposed between the floating piston B and the auxiliary-piston B causes the two pistons, to separate, to the full extentpermitted, in normal conditions of working so that liquid will enter jthe space between the two'pistons through a small non-return valve. 6 arranged in the auxiliary piston. In the event of the liquid becoming exhausted from the recuperator cylinder A, the auxiliary piston will come into contact with anabutment A and the air-pressure acting on the floating-piston B will give rise w an intensified pressure" on prevent 'theair from escaping past the pis-' ton into the space that has been depleted of liquid. The auxiliary piston in Fig. 1

is'of the same diameter as the floating piston, but in Fig; 2 it isof smaller diameter and contained in acylindrical cavity formed in the floating piston. The abutment A for'the auxiliary piston in the former case consists in a flange formed on the inner surface of the recuperator cylinder and in the latter case consists in'a cylindrical projection on the end cover of the cylinder.

C is the aforesaid valve that is opened by the'floating piston B when the latter reaches a predetermined position. in compressing the air in the recuperator cylinder. This valve in the examples shown is constituted by the conical end of a rod C arranged co-axially within the recuperator cylinder. The said valve is adapted to bear against a valve seat secured in the end wall of the recuperator cylinder. The other end of the rod C carries a head or collar C against which a suitable projection 32* on the floating piston bears when the said piston reaches its aforesaid position in the cylinder, thus lifting the valve C from its seat and thereby enabling the excess of liquid to escape from the cylinder through the passages 41, a, and a.

. The floating piston B has a hollow cylindrical extension B projecting into the air space of the recuperator cylinder and inclosing the head or collar C and part of the rod C. This extension is closed at the end and is in communication with the liquid end of the recuperator cylinder so that the face of the head or collar 0' is subjected to the pressure of the liquid. In order to insure the proper seating of the valve C the valve end of the rod C carries a'small piston C moving in a cylinder G on the end wall of the recuperator cylinder. In this manner the pressure of the liquid on the face of the head or collar C and on the rear of the piston C retains the valve 0' firmly on its seat without however preventing it from being lifted to permit of the escape of the excess liquid as aforesaid when the projection 12 comes against the head or collar C The cylinder C is tapered internally for a certain portion of its length so that in the event of the said piston becoming moved completely out of this. cylinder it will, when the projection b moves away from the head or collar C readily return and enable the re-seating of the valve C to occur. 7 J i The liquid end of the recuperator cylinde FWQIQPDE PtQfi .br...the 9 F A" with h motor appertaining to the gear that is to be operated by the pressure liquid and a control valve is provided so that the pressure liquid canbe admitted to the-said motor as required. 1

\Vhat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In air recuperator apparatus for storing part of the recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floatingpiston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced to the cylinder by therecoil of the gun, of

a displaceable member carried by'said piston and so disposed as to leave between it and the piston a space or chamber which is in communication with the cylinder to receive a portion of the liquid contained therein, said space or chamber being also in communication with the packing so as to perniit the latter tov be acted on by the liquid imprisoned between the piston and said member, and an abutment against which the displaccable member is adapted to contact, in the event of the depletion of the liquid from the recuperator cylinder, and thereby cause the relative movement to take place between said member and the piston whereby the imprisoned liquidwill be subjected topressure and will exert increased pressure upon the packing of the piston so as to insure an effective air tight joint between said piston and the recuperator cylinder. V

2. In airrecuperator apparatus for storing part of the'recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floating piston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced. to the cylinder by the recoil of the gun, of a spring controlled auxiliary piston carried by said floating pistonand so disposed as to leave between it and'the floating piston a space or chamber communicating by one or more passages with the packing of the floating piston, a non-return valve providing communication between said space or chamber and the liquid in the cylinder, an abutment against which said auxiliary piston is adapted to contact to force the liquid in said chamber through said passages to act upon the packing.

3. In air recuperator apparatus for storing part of the recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floating piston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced to the cylinder by the recoil of the gun, of a valve which is arranged in the liquid end of the cylinder, and means operated by the floating piston for opening the last-named valve when the floating piston reaches a predetermined position beyond which it is not desired that said pistonshould operate in compressing the air.

4?. In air recuperator apparatus for storing part of the recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floating piston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced to the cylinder by the recoil of the gun, of a valve arranged in the liquid end of the cylinder, this latter valve forming part of a rod which is arranged co-aXially within the recuperator cylinder and is adapted to be displaced axially by the floating piston to the open position when said piston reaches a predetermined position in compressing the air in the recuperator cylinder.

5. In air recuperator apparatus for storing part of the recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floating piston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced to the cylinder by the recoil of the gun, of a valve arranged in the liquid end of the cylinder, this latter valve forming part of a rod which is arranged co-axially within the recuperator cylinder and is adapted to be displaced axially by the floating piston to the open position when the said piston reaches a predetermined position in 00111- the air space of the recuperator cylinder and is closed at its projecting end.

6. In air recuperator apparatus for storing part of the recoil energy of ordnance, the combination with the recuperator cylinder, a floating piston provided with packing and disposed in said cylinder and a nonreturn valve through which liquid is forced to the cylinder oy the recoil of the 'un, of a valve arranged in the liquid end 0 the cylinder, this latter valve forming part of a rod which is arranged co-axially within the recuperator cylinder and is adapted to be displaced axially by the floating piston to the open position when said piston reaches a predetermined position in compressing the air in the recuperator cylinder, this rod having a piston working in a cylinder whose inner end is in communication with the pressure liquid in the recuperator cylinder.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. JAMES HORNE. 

